Have ever thought of migrating to Canada through the Canada family sponsorship or you are a residence of Canada who wishes to reunite your family. Either way, you should read this article till the end.
This article has covered everything you should know about the Canada family sponsorship.
Who Can Become A Sponsor?
To be eligible to become a sponsor and help your loved ones immigrate to Canada, you must meet the following criteria;
- over 18 years old;
- are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident;
- prove that you do not receive social assistance from the state (the exception is for disability);
- Will be able to provide the basic needs of sponsored people (food, shelter, clothing, etc.).
If you are a Canadian citizen residing outside Canada, you must prove that you will be living in Canada when the people you sponsor become permanent residents of the state.
Who Cannot Become a Sponsor?
You cannot sponsor a spouse, partner, or child if:
- Temporarily staying in Canada: tourism, education, and work;
- Have applied for permanent residence, but it is still being processed;
- Do not have funds to support the people you plan to sponsor (if applicable in your case);
- Have already applied to sponsor this person, and the decision on the application has not yet been made;
- Did not return the money for the immigration loan;
- Did not pay alimony ordered by the court. If you pay and settle this issue, you can become a sponsor;
- Did not provide financial support to a person who was previously sponsored;
- Have been declared bankrupt;
- Have been convicted of attempting, threatening or committing a violent felony, any crime against a relative, or any sexual offence inside or outside Canada;
- Are in prison;
- Cannot stay legally in Canada.
- You may not be eligible to sponsor your spouse or partner if:
- They were sponsored by a spouse or civil partner, and 5 years have not passed since obtaining permanent resident status;
- Are still financially responsible for the previous spouse or partner you sponsored.
Basic Requirements for Sponsors
When applying, you will need to fill out and sign a form that includes 2 basic requirements for family sponsorship;
- Undertaking
- provide financial support to your family members from the moment they become permanent residents of Canada;
- Repay any provincial or territory social assistance that your sponsored family members receive during this time.
- Sponsorship agreement, under which;
- you will provide for the basic needs of your family members;
The person you sponsor will do their best to support themselves and their family members.
Income Requirement for Sponsors
In most cases, proof of income is not required to sponsor a spouse, partner, or dependent child. This is only required in the following cases:
- you sponsor a child who has a child of their own;
- You sponsor a spouse or partner who has a child and that child has a child.
In such situations, you must show the minimum required annual income. It depends on the size of the family:
Requirements for the Sponsored Family Members
Your parents, grandparents and their dependents must provide;
- Completed forms and required documents;
- Any additional information that may be requested during the processing of the application, including:
- The results of the medical examination;
- Police certificate;
Categories of Sponsored Family Members
Spouse
Can be of any gender, as well as;
- is legally married to you;
- 18 years of age or older.
Civil partner
Can be of any gender, as well as:
- Is not legally married to you;
- 18 years of age or older;
- Lived with you for at least 1 year in a row without long separations. This relationship will need to be proven.
Dependent Child
Children can be considered dependents if they meet the following requirements;
- They are less than 22 years old;
- They do not have a spouse (s) or civil partner.
- Children 22 years of age and older are considered dependents if they meet the following requirements:
- Cannot financially support themselves due to a mental or physical condition;
- Have been dependent on their parents for financial support since the age of 22.
When sponsoring only your biological child;
It should be borne in mind that if you are a citizen of Canada, then he can also be a citizen of the state, even if he was born in another country.
You cannot sponsor a child who is already a citizen;
- If you are only sponsoring your child without a spouse or civil partner, the child must be listed as the main applicant on the application.
- If your child has his child (your grandchild), then he must also be included in the list of dependents.
Step-By-Step Sponsorship Process
To apply for sponsorship, you must submit 2 applications at the same time: the first is for you to become a sponsor, the second is for the permanent residence of your spouse, partner or child.
The sponsorship process for a spouse, partner or child consists of 3 main steps;
- Prepare an application package. These include;
- A list of documents for you and the people you want to sponsor;
- Forms that you and the sponsored people must fill out;
- Instructions to help you and your family fill out the forms correctly.
Before serving, be sure that;
- You are eligible to be a sponsor;
- You have listed all family members (spouse or partner, as well as children and children of children);
- All information in the application is true;
- The application is fully completed.
- Pay the Fees
In most cases, fees will include;
- Sponsorship fees;
- Payment for the right to permanent residence in Canada;
- Payment for passing biometrics.
- Submit Your Application
Having prepared all the necessary documents and forms, you need to send them by regular mail or by courier to Canada for consideration.
After the application is submitted and the fees are paid, your family members will be sent letters asking for biometrics.
Within 30 days after that, they will have to pass the biometrics, taking these letters with them.
Also, while your application is being processed, a request will be sent to your family members to undergo a medical examination.
It must be completed by a spouse or partner and a dependent child, even if you are not sponsoring them in the current application.
Conclusion
I believe that you learnt a lot about the Canada family sponsorship. So ensure that you share this knowledge with colleagues online who might be interested in this article.
You can also let us know what think in the comment section below.